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Quote of the Day: Genuine Patriots of the Future
But then, in the eyes of the Left, a nation of free citizens, equal before the law and not necessarily equal in much of anything else save opportunity, does not much look like the America that “fundamental transformation” is intended to bring about. By their lights, they are patriots, just not “American” patriots. They are patriots of America of the Future. The country they hope to bring into being will be still be called “America,” it just won’t be America.
— Michael Walsh, The Devil’s Pleasure Palace
The Left will never be satisfied. They think they are working toward a future goal of equality for all, perfected human beings and flawless institutions. Their problem is that as long as flawed human beings are in charge, nothing will ever be perfect—including the Left and their aspirations. But that truth can’t penetrate their demands to transform the country.
The Left doesn’t realize that part of the beauty of human nature is our vulnerability and imperfection. It is out of those states that we strive to improve the world, not from a socialist, totalitarian doctrine that demands our compliance. Our unpredictability, which can be awkward on a day-to-day basis, leaves room for creativity, exploration, and dynamism. When we allow people to thrive and invent and experiment, they grow as individuals and we grow as a country.
“We held our nation’s fallen heroes close to our hearts in everything we did. From the care of our uniforms to the precision of our marching to the grooming of our horses, it was our sacred duty to honor the fallen in ways big and small. Our standard was simple: perfection on every level. A funeral in Arlington is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the family. And for us, service in Arlington National Cemetery was a once-in-a-lifetime privilege.” — Tom Cotton, Sacred Duty: A Soldier’s Tour at Arlington National Cemetery
Greeks promoted the notion of “perfection” – that there was such a thing as a perfect ratio, or a perfect body. And this word and concept has similarly entered our modern world: perfection has become the standard against whom everyone or everything is measured. Sadly, it is also part of our religious thinking as well: the concept that some people are “almost” perfect, for example.
